Another week, another PR disaster at Blackpool

The phrase “just when you think things couldn’t get worse at Blackpool…” has been uttered in my previous blogs, and in the wider media circle, umpteen times over the past eighteen months, and every time it proves to be correct.

PR gaffe after PR gaffe has occurred and received both a shocking yet unsurprising response by football fans who are following this once proud club’s disintegration. The latest comes in the form of a foul mouthed rant at a Pool supporter, from the club’s commercial Twitter account, which has since been deleted.

The thing that drives me, and most other Pool fans mad, is that the club attempts to put incidents like this to one side. An online statement claimed that the commercial Twitter account had nothing to do with them, despite previously promoting that account via the club’s website and Twitter feed!

Turning a blind eye and brushing incidents like this under the carpet is truly baffling behaviour. What sums it up brilliantly for me is that after the commercial Twitter feed was deleted, the club statement released was a mere 10 lines long. Yet when a fan is sued, or when a bid is made by other parties to buy the club, the statements seem never ending.

Manager Neil McDonald stated early in his reign that after a couple of wins “the fans will come back”. Well after no wins in their first three games, and a tricky match against Burton Albion on Tuesday, it doesn’t look as if many will be returning anytime soon.

The club amazingly claimed the attendance at home to Rochdale on Saturday was 7,076. After seeing pictures online from inside the ground, official attendance was nearer 3,500. Expect this to be a constant at home games during the season.

Former Pool hero Steve Banks has returned as goalkeeping coach, and boy does he have some work to do. The Seasiders have looked very ropey at the back so far this season, and have already lost first choice keeper Colin Doyle to injury.

Incredibly, it was the injured Doyle who had to lead the warm up against Rochdale last Saturday, because two goalkeeping coaches walked out last week!

I wasn’t at the Rochdale game, but reading the match report it sounds as if his replacement Kyle Letheren isn’t up to much. Personally, I would give youngster Myles Boney some game time.

He’s only 17 years of age and hasn’t played a competitive game yet, but why not give the lad a go? We’ve seen how successful the likes of Harrison McGahey, Dom Telford and Mark Waddington have been in the past when given an opportunity in the first-team.

In April, Boney was called up to an England goalkeeping training camp, so the lad clearly has some promise. It looked like he would be yet another youngster to leave Pool early when he spent some time training with Manchester City this summer.

What Pool fans don’t want to see is yet another promising talent come through the ranks, break into the first-team for them to leave the club for little or no fee. Our youth-team has been a rare shining light throughout the past couple of season, so why not utilise this more?

Five years ago last weekend, Blackpool Football Club sat top of the Premier League, beating Wigan 4-0. The fact that teams such as Rochdale are now turning us over on our own patch shows how far this club has fallen.